Five Lessons I Learned Working Retail

Written By: Kim - Feb• 12•13

Like many of you, I worked through college. It was part-time work, but it paid for something that I would otherwise not have had: my car. My parents were not in a financial position to purchase a car for me when I graduated from high school. I could either bum rides (we lived in a small town and there was no public transportation) or I could work. I chose to work.

©Sarah Jay courtesy of stock.xchng

©Sarah Jay courtesy of stock.xchng

I learned many lessons during those years, but here are the most important ones.

1. You are never to good to (fill in the blank). If the work is honest and you need the job, you will do it. Stocking shelves, cleaning toilets, stomaching rude customers, taking out the trash, running boring reports – nothing is beneath you when you have financial commitments. And, once you become the boss, don’t ever ask someone who works for you to do a task you won’t do.

2. Hard work gets noticed. The truly great bosses I have worked for watch employees and staff with precision. They notice a lot more than we think they do. If you are working hard and smart, they notice.

3. Never, ever think that a “blue collar” job is beneath you. While talents and skill sets vary between industries, anyone who is a good worker is priceless. It doesn’t matter if you are making $10 per hour or $2,000 per hour. Do your job well, people notice and you become an asset to your organization.

4. Just because someone seems to be at a crossroad doesn’t mean they wish to stay there. Everyone has dreams. When you met someone in your life, they may be on the path to their dream. They may not have named or claimed their dream or they may have just realized it. People come in to our lives and either offer us an experience or a lesson. Learn from them all.

5. Never judge someone by their clothes. The richest people in my hometown were the peanut farmers who wore jeans, overalls and hats to the store.

Don’t get me wrong: working retail through college was a great career motivator. Working nights and weekends, which is pretty common for college kids, sucks. Standing on your feet during your entire shift is definitely motivation for a desk job. But, I would not have traded my experience for anything. So if you have children, please encourage them to work a part-time job. The lessons you learn as a young adult will carry you through your life.

Well Said My Fellow American

Written By: Kim - Apr• 28•12

Earlier this week, I traveled to Orlando, Fla., for DigitalNow 2012, which is an amazing conference for association professionals. The most pleasant cab driver from Washington Flyer picked me up at my home.

Originally from Pakistan, he immigrated to the US 15 years ago. He received his US citizenship a couple of years back. He wants his 7 year-old son to attend West Point. His naturalization ceremony was held at Thomas Jefferson’s home in Monticello outside of Charlottesville, Va. I cannot think of a more perfect spot than the home of the father of the Declaration of Independence. 

I often ask my cab drivers if they seem open to conversation and who often hail from other countries what they miss most about their home. I had a cab driver last December say that, “America was his home” even though he originated from India. What a powerful and moving statement that was.

My conversation this week yielded the same, powerful response: “I have not returned to Pakistan in the 15 years since I left.” Powerful words which testify to why America opens her arms. We were a country founded on immigrants. The Statue of Liberty’s poem holds powerful words for Americans to remember. This is not a post about immigration reform. I am simply reminded by a new American what it means to live in this amazing country:

Anyone can come to America and is offered the chance at a better life. In Pakistan, when we go to a movie, the announcement beforehand reminds everyone to look under our seats for any signs of a bomb. I came from another country and my son has the chance to attend West Point or any other college. There are not many countries in the world where you can argue with your politician and still be alive to tell the story the next day. The founding fathers guaranteed citizen’s rights that many other countries, even now, do not enjoy. The founding fathers were pretty smart.

Well said, my fellow American. Well said.

So remember: It’s your Constitutional right and duty as an American citizen. Get out and vote. I know my cab driver does.